Pneumatic pendant control for electric switches



July 31, 1951 E. B. SPENCER PNEUMATIC PENDANT CONTROL FOR ELECTRIC SWITCHES 2 Sheets-$heet 1 Filed March 5, 1946 \llliiililliiil m f grwe/wbom fbr/ J vmcer July 31, 1951 E. B. SPENCER PNEUMATIC PENDANT CONTROL FOR ELECTRIC SWITCHES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 5, 1946 1 I 1 s :5 I 1 swam tom fdr/ J oemer A/V\V\\ 7////////////////////////////////////////////%\ Ill/ll Ill/f Patented July 31, 1951 STAT ES ELN'T OFF-[CE BNEUMATIG PENDANT CONTROLL FOR ELECTRIC SWITGHES;

Earl B; Spencer, La. Canada,.Qalif;

Application March5, 1946; SerialiNo..652,176 3 Claims. ((ll. 60.- 62.6)

invention relates to. pendant control for pneumatically operated switches, and it. has among its; salient: objectstoprovidean improved pendant. construction and; arrangement, which is soft:- and: flexible and which is efficient and. convenientinthemanual control-.of. electric switches, anditt isparticularly well. adapted for. usein con.- nection with. traveling cranes. hoistsv and. monorail equipment.

such. equipment. it is common to use a pendant cord or. cable having" a. push-button switchmechanism attached thereto, and inorder to make-a. substantialswitch arrangementin. this switch box, it is quite complicated and must; be properly encased for its protection; and. becomes more or: less. unwieldy and is easily broken. by hanging. against. obstructions and has. been the cause. of serious. accidents resulting from the switchboxhitting workmen.

It is an. object. of my invention to provide. a pendant control which: shall avoid all. of. these; ob.- jections, dangers. and. inconvenience, as well. as theexpenseconnectedtherewith,

In hoists. cranes and the like. the actuatin switches for applying, the. power are generally mounted on. the hoist or crane, the power source being,connectedthroughtrolley. wiresor taglines. 'Iihese switches. are, actuated by solenoids, which take a. microscopic amount of. current, and the circuits-thereior are closed by PllShrbllttODS, ..In my invention. I; substitute. for these pushbuttons and; the many wires leading to, the control; box, a series or tubeslikean. extruded rub.- bjer. hose with a. series. of. conduits. or channels therethrough. which would. be. connected, respec tively, to a series of pneumatically operated switches, through metal or rubber, diaphragms and plungers or actuating members. Which. would actuate the. push button circuit, control. mechanism all contained within. a. switch box. on. the hoist, crane or other electrically controlled mech- This tube would be. suspended. and at itslower end wouldhave a. series of.bulbs or expandedsections, one for each conduit. or channel through sai'dfltube, thus making. it. possible to select. the particular bulb for a particular switchfor. a par.- ticul'ar control switch. From. eachof these bulbs. therefore, there would extend a conduitor channelto. a...particular pneumatic switch, so that by squeezing the bulb any one of the pneumatic switches could be actuatedas; desired.

An advantage of these progressively operated "switches is that in no case could one slam the motor on the line too quickly, and in order to control this in a regulatable way, a throttling ad justment could be inserted in the panel; box so that too fast a closing of this series of switches .could be prevented.

In order to describe my invention more. in. detail; 1 have illustrated one practical embodiment thereof on the accompanying two sheets of drawings, which I will now describe.

Figure Lisaside. elevationoi, a-hoist andtravel: inc crane; with, mypneumatic. pendant control connected. therewith, one; motor being indicated for; raising and. lowering the; load, and another motor; being shown for moving the-crane inv both directions;

Figure 2. is a cross: sectional view through. the pendant at. line 2.2.on.F.'ig. 1.;

Figures 3 and 4. are enlarged; longitudinal sectionaliviewthrough. the.- pendant.- tube, with. bulbs shown; in. section, taken on the lines; 3-3 and 4-4-, respectively,.of Fig. 2.;

Figure-5 isa detail; insection, taken on the line. .?5101 Fig. 3;, showing aremovable plug therefor;

Figure 6 is an enlarged view, in section, showing a pneumatically operated, switch. mechanism;

Figure? is-a plan view, looking down on. the arrangement indicated in Fig, 6.; and

Figured isa dia rammatic view illustrating-the wiring connections and the. control connections through: my. pendant control. mechanism.

' Referring-now more in detail. to the-drawings; willfirst: describe the construction. of my improved pneumatic endant. In Fig. 1, Ihave illustrated a; hoist; crane operating on, an, overhead rail, designated R, A, travel motor T is shown. at the left, anda hoistmotor His shown at the. right. andthe switch. box; 13, is shown. mounted thereon. and moving, therewith. From this switch box B, my improved pendant P is shown depending there-.- trom. and provided. at its lower end with. a series of bulbs, designated 10, II, l2. and, I3, and. at: it lower end. it is shown provided. with. an insert plug [4. havinggfour prongs, as. IE, to be inserted into theffour. conduits formedinsaid pendant, as clearly indicated in. Figs. 3. and 4.and. 5. An. en.- larged sectional view through, the pendant on the line- 2.-2. of. F g. 1', is. Seen. in Fig. 2... This shows the. four. conduits in saidpendant, and these con.- duits are designated. 16; ll, [8 and I9, and will be understood from Figs. 3 and 4, Each. of. the conduitsin. said pendant has av connecting port with. its particular bulb. Conduit l6 hasa port t6 opening into bulb; l0; conduit l8 hasa port t8; opening into bulb 13, as seen in Fig. 3, while conduit. H. has. a. port l1 opening into bulb, ll, and. conduit l8, has a port l9 opening into bulb 1.2., as seen. in Fig, 4, which is a sectional. view taken. on theline 4-4. of Fig. 2, and at right angles. to. the. sectional view taken on the line of saidFig; 2C.

In: Fig. 6. I; have shown in. enlarged sectional vie.w,, a diaphragm body 20, having a diaphragm 2t thereon, said body 20 being connected, as at 22, by-means of.- a flexible rubber tube 23, and a nipple 24. with the conduit. it of the pendantP, so that when bulb; Ht is compressed in. the hand, through thenort;v l 6 air will beforced into saiddiaphragm bodyrlfl to move; the diaphragm 2|, in, a manner well understood.

In connection with. this.Fig-. 6, and also. in Fig.7, 1 haveiillustratedhow a. pluralit or pneumaticallly operated switches can be connected with one diaphragm and progressively actuated by squeezing the bulb more and more tightly. Shown in full lines is a switch lever 25, having a spoon-like end 26 resting on the diaphragm 2|, as shown. This switch lever when raised by the diaphragm operates to move a switch plunger 21 which closes or opens the switch in the case 28, of any known kind. I have indicated in light broken lines two other cases, as 29 and 39, with their switch levers 29' and 30' overlying the switch lever 25 as clearly indicated in Figs. 6 and 7. These switch cases 28, 29 and 30, can be so positioned, or their'switch levers can be so positioned relative to each other that they will successively be moved as the diaphragm 2i is moved to three different distances by squeezing the bulb l differently. These three switches can be connected so that three different speeds can be had, as slow, fast or medium. For example, if bulb I0 is squeezed slightly, it will move the switch lever 25 and its switch plunger 21. If said bulb is squeezed more the diaphragm will move switch lever 25 until it engages and moves switch lever 30' and its switch. If said bulb is squeezed tight it will move the diaphragm suificiently to lift all of the switch levers, including 29, which would be connected for fast opera tion.

In the diagrammatic view in Fig. 8, single lines represent the tube or conduit connections from the respective bulbs and the light broken line, outlines the switch box in which would be located the pneumatically operated switches illustrated in Fig.6. It will be understood, of course, that these switches which are operated from the difierent bulbs are the light switches, referred to as micro switches, and these are what is illustrated by the cases 28, 29 and 30 in Fig. 6. This invention has to do with a pneumatic pendant control foroperating such switches, and is fully illustrated in just the lower part of the diagrammatic view'in Fig. 8. It is, therefore, not considered necessary to trace a lot of circuits, as shown in the upper part of said Fig. 8, as this has nothing to do with the invention. In the lower part of said Fig. 8, the diaphragm mechanisms for the four bulbs I9, ll, I2 and 13, are all designated 20, and the connecting tube, as in Fig. 6, is designated 23 in each case.

In connection with said Fig. 8, I have shown one safety valve mechanism for releasing the air pressure in case of any overload electrically. This includes a valve body V connected with the air tube 23 from the diaphragms 20, with a valve 3| closing the same, and adapted to be opened by a solenoid 32 connected in the electric line or circuit represented by the line'33 which includes said solenoid 32. A spring 34 with an adjustment screw 35 are illustrated in this diagrammatic view to indicate how the safety release of the air from the diaphragms can be provided for in connection with the pneumatically operated switches, as illustrated in connection with my invention. It will be understood that such relief valve would be connected with all of the tubes 23, and all circuits thus protected, but inasmuch asthis mechanism is not important to the invention of this application, these connections need not be further shown or described. The circuits which are controlled by these pneumatically operated switches, of course, can be of any kind, number, and strength. My invention is particularly designed for over head hoists, cranes and the like, as indicated in Fig. 1, with the switch box B, shown in place thereon, but can be used for any electric switch control mechanism. The invention proper, therefore, has to do only with the pneumatic pendant, illustrated, connected with switch-actuating means, as the diaphragms, illustrated in Fig. 6.

In the diagrammatic showing in Fig. 8, the

travel motor and the hoist motor, referred to in connection with Fig. 1, are indicated by the letters T and H. The main circuits are indicated by the reference letters L L L and the main or controlling switches therefor are designated 36, 31, 38 and 39, and these are operated by the solenoids S S and S and S said solenoids being actuated by the circuits controlled by the sensitive or micro switches, as 28, 29 and 30, actuated by the diaphragm, as 2 l, or other pneumatically moved element suflicient to actuate said switches. As these are standard and well understood, it is not believed that further detailed description is required, as it is no part of the invention involved herein.

I do not, therefore, limit my invention to the details of construction and arrangement here shown for explanatory purposes, except as I may be limited by the hereto appended claims.

I claim:

1. A control pendant for electric switches consisting of an elongated flexible body of hose-like form having a plurality of separate conduits therethrough, lengthwise thereof, for carrying impulses of fluid therethrough, each conduit having a port through its outer wall, and a bulb formation around said flexible body and integral therewith, at each of said conduit ports, whereby pressure on a bulb formation forces an impulse of fluid through its port and through the conduit with which it is connected.

2. Acontrol pendant for electric switches consistingof a hose-like body, of flexible material having a plurality of separate conduits therethrough, lengthwise thereof, for carrying impulses of fluid therethrough, each conduit having a port through its outer wall, and an integral bulb formed on said hose-like body at each of said ports, and integral with said body, whereby pressure on a bulb formation forces an impulse of fluid through its port and through the conduit with which it is connected.

3. A control pendant body substantially as shown consisting of an integral elongated body of rubber-likematerial with a plurality of separate conduits therethrough, lengthwise thereof, and a succession of bulb formations along said body, like beads on a string, each of said bulb formations having a porttherein to a particular conduit, whereby pressure ,on said bulb forces an impulse of fluid through its particular conduit, and a plug having a prong for each conduit and designed to be inserted into the end of said elongated body and removable to open said conduits for safety.

EARL B. SPENCER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

